01.23.2018

Because we should always try to be our best selves and, of course, save our planet…

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It’s not that I’ve never not cared about the planet or my own well-being but, until recently, if something with chemicals worked and was more convenient, I was all for it. I think in the past two or three years brands have really made big strides in making better, safer, healthier alternatives and I for one am all about switching over as long as I don’t have to sacrifice convenience or actual efficacy, you know? These four brands/products have really wowed me and I felt like it was important to share my finds even though this skews a bit from my typical beauty content.

I’d love to hear what you guys think! Do you want to see more content like this? Or just once in awhile when I have something REALLY good to talk about? Feel free to comment below or reach out via Instagram or Twitter 🙂

Here are my four newest eco-friendly, safe obsessions…and, just FYI, none of this is sponsored and I paid for everything myself (no freebies here!).

Imperfect Produce: I’ve tried a bunch of the farm fresh delivery services over the years and they were always pricey and kind of too much stuff, you know? I live alone and one woman can only eat so many apples! Ha. This company sources “ugly” fruits and vegetables that usually go to waste on farms and, according to the brand, more than 20% of the fruits and vegetables grown in America never make it off the farm because they aren’t perfect enough for grocery store standards. This results in billions of pounds of wasted produce every year! Not ok.

The fruits and veggies that Imperfect Produce uses taste the exact same on the inside but look a little “wonky” on the outside (though I’ve never really been weirded out by anything). Customers can select the box size and frequency that suits their lifestyle. Customers also choose which fruits and vegetables they’d like in their box each week from an ever-changing list of delicious, seasonal produce–so there’s no receiving produce you don’t want! And, believe me, I’m always like “nope” to bananas and a few other items I’d never eat.

P.S. You’ll get $10 off your first order if you sign up via this link!

Note: If you’re not located in any of the above areas, try Hungry Harvest (I saw them on Shark Tank but they don’t deliver to LA yet). Hungry Harvest delivers to Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware, South Florida and The Triangle Area in North Carolina.

Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner: This was another Shark Tank find- can you tell I’m obsessed with that show yet?! I’ve always been an avid “get the strongest cleaner” kind of girl but one day I noticed that my cat, Gemma, jumped up on the kitchen counter RIGHT after I had wiped it down and then I had a vision of her licking her paws and panicked. I don’t want my cats licking bleach and other harsh chemicals, so that basically meant I had to switch to a natural cleaner…but obviously I wanted one that would still be effective.

This brand’s presentation on Shark Tank specifically stood out as memorable to me because the creator said it was so safe (yet effective) that you could drink it. He then sprayed it directly INTO HIS MOUTH.

SOLD.

I’ve been using this all-purpose cleaner for a few months now and it does just as good a job as the chemical-enhanced stuff. I love that it’s plant derived and free of dyes, synthetic fragrances, sulfates, and petroleum solvents. Better Life products are also packaged using solar energy and recyclable materials, with formulas that biodegrade two-to-five times faster than leading natural and conventional cleaners. I really recommend this stuff, if not for you then for the sake of your animals and kids!

Pure Vitality Beauty Natural Nail Polish Remover: Apparently I care more about my cats than I do about myself because, just like with the cleaner above, I only decided to try out this natural nail polish remover after noticing that my cat, Gemma, would LITERALLY RUN AWAY every time I would use acetone nail polish remover.

Do you know what that actually means? It means the smell was so strong, and so bad that she needed to leave the room. And by way of RUNNING. If you’ve met Gemma, then you know she’s obsessed with me, and it takes a lot to get her to not be in the same room.

I decided to try out this natural polish because, obviously, I don’t want to make her upset but also because Gemma suffers from feline asthma and the scent of acetone couldn’t possibly be good for that.

I settled on this particular one from Pure Vitality because of the AMAZING Amazon.com reviews and, let me tell you, it’s even better than I expected. The directions tell you to let the remover “sit” on your nails for a few minutes before rubbing off the polish and, because I’m me, I wasn’t wild about having to wait. That said, I didn’t wait the first time I used this stuff (typical) but it 100% still worked- I say as long as you don’t have like 10 layers of polish to remove, you probably don’t have to let it sit.

Pure Vitality Beauty nail paint remover is free from acetone, acetate, ethyl lactate and petroleum chemicals – all of which are harmful with repeated or prolonged exposure. And, another bonus, my hands and nails did NOT feel as dry as they usually do after using regular polish remover- this stuff is actually moisturizing (they say it’s even safe for cancer patients)! All ingredients are rated 0 or 1 in the cosmetic safety review by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database (non hazardous, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and pregnancy safe, guys). I mean. I really wish I had discovered this years ago…

CORA Premium Organic Cotton Tampons: After seeing the founders of CORA on Chelsea Hander’s Netflix show, I was really inspired. I had absolutely no idea that millions of girls and women around the world stay home from school or work during their periods because they can’t afford menstrual supplies, and CORA actually provide’s a month’s supply of pads and health education to girls in need for every month’s supply of CORA products purchased. I don’t want to get too far away from the fact that I really love their organic cotton tampons, because they ARE really good, but I was literally dumbfounded when they reported the below stats. Shocking, right? I’m honored and happy to support not only a fantastic product, but also a company that is driven to make a positive change in the world, especially for women.

Unbelievable stats (but, oh they ARE real):

70% of Indian girls and women cannot afford menstrual supplies

1 in 4 girls in India drops out of school once she reaches puberty

90% decrease in dropout rate when girls have access to menstrual supplies

A CORA subscription is $11 per month and the first month is free (you just pay $3 for shipping!). You can also choose your plan based on how heavy or light your period is, so you’re not getting too much or too little!